


Speleological Adventures in the Undergound

by trujellyfish



Series: Speleological Adventures [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Character, Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-11-04 13:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trujellyfish/pseuds/trujellyfish
Summary: As far as you're concerned, you've already hit rock bottom. You don't think you can get any lower, so you climb Mt. Ebott; for the same reason most people do. You definitely didn't think you would wake up at what has to be literal rock bottom. But what do you know; you’re a botanist, not a geologist.Archive warnings will be added as needed.





	1. After the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> So, I started writing this to cope during a depressive episode and then just kind of... ran with it. This chapter is pretty light, but I will add notes/warnings for certain chapters just in case. I do intend to have some pretty heavy content later on. The title may sound fun, but it won't all be fluff :-)

You don't expect to wake again and yet here you are, lying on your front, resisting the urge to cry.

The tears and sobs erupt from you anyway.

_Why am I in so much pain?_

Logically you know why. You fell down a hole and it didn’t kill you. You suppose that what you're really wondering is _why didn’t it_. You decide you don't really want to just lie on the ground speculating about your injuries, so you force yourself into a sitting position.

You stop halfway up, clutching your midriff as if you could force your bones back into place.

Your chest feels like it’s on fire.

“Okay, so, broken ribs…” Knowing basic first aid was a must in your field and had helped many of your colleagues through field-related incidents; although having a partner on hand was helpful for diagnosis and treatment. You always knew that one day it would be you with the broken bones, though you never would have guessed this context.

Talking aloud has always helped keep you calm, so you start walking yourself through the rest of your injuries.

“Sprained ankle, broken wrist, broken arm… Glad its the same arm at least, and only a sprain.” Slowly your sobbing turns into hiccoughs and you wipe the tears from your eyes. No longer panicking, you know you need to consider what your next move should be. You had climbed the mountain for a reason, but you don't think you’re going to stick to that plan now that you’re down here.

Not just yet at least.

Scanning your surroundings, you realize you didn't just fall down a hole, but that you fell into a cave system. You’re surrounded by stalactites, stalagmites, and above you is a large, impossibly high tunnel.

The hole you jumped into.

It’s not a cave system you recognize, which you find interesting. You know the government has restricted access to Mt. Ebott, which is part of what attracted you to the town in the first place. There were mysteries to uncover.

You had explored some of the cave systems in the mountains already with the other teams, but they didn't seem very expansive or dangerous. Everywhere you explored just gave you more questions as to why access would be restricted. There were rumours though; conspiracy theories that monsters were still alive and living under Mount Ebott.

You had never decided if you believed the conspiracies, but now that you were down here you’re not sure how keen you are on finding out. You can't imagine they would be overly friendly towards humans.

Resolving to keep moving through the cave systems - because dying while exploring would at least be more interesting than lying around waiting to die - you manage to get to your feet. Your head spins and your ankle throbs so bad you nearly fall down again. Shutting your eyes and breathing hard, you manage to stay upright. There's only one way to go, so you slowly start limping down the tunnel once your vision clears.

Every step is pure agony. You're in reasonable shape, but it takes no time before you're gasping and sweating. Dropping to the ground and letting death claim you is an extremely tempting mood, especially when that was your original evening plan anyway; but curiousity had always won over everything else before and it didn't seem like that was changing. You continue on your grueling path, certain that it has to lead somewhere interesting. Your determination is rewarded as you reach the end of the hall.

A beautiful, intricate archway flanked by two pillars, with a design spanning the top width tower above you. Some sort of crest sits atop the opening; a circle with a pair of wings, standing over three triangles. The outer two stood point up, while the middle one faced point down.

You stare at it in awe. It's a fairly simple design and structure, but the question jumping to the front of your mind is the question of who built it. Is it a remnant from an ancient civilisation? Was it built by humans or monsters? If it was built recently, then it can't have been built by humans since it’s located beneath a restricted zone - albeit with terrible security - which means there must be monsters roaming throughout Mt. Ebott.

Your temple is starting to throb.

You don't ponder it for much longer; you're in far too much pain to be able to consider it properly anyway. Instead you commit the sight - especially the crest - to memory and continue on your way, excruciatingly slowly, through the doorway. The next room gives you some more pause; right in the middle of the mostly barren area is a patch of light surrounding a small mound of grass. It's not something you ever would have expected to see in a cave, especially considering the rest of the room is just barren rock. Scanning the ceiling you can't even really make out a light source; there are no holes leading up to the surface in this room or any bioluminescent creatures that would offer any light.

As a botanist, this is way more interesting to you than the doorway. 

The patch of grass gives you some hope though; there could be a stick or something to use as a splint. After all, all you brought down on this trip was your phone (earbuds miraculously intact) and your wallet. You're making your way to the grass when something seems to wrap around your good ankle and you topple to the ground. You hear your ribs snap just before you feel the sharp pain in your chest, and really hope you didn’t just puncture a lung. You can't help but burst into tears again.

You're getting really tired of the frequent crying.

You’re so absorbed by your new level of pain that you don’t hear the approaching footsteps. As soft as the accompanying voice is, you still flinch in surprise, regretting it immediately.

“My child, are you all right?”

Nothing could have prepared you for the sight of the tall being above you. The pain of your broken bones vanish and your sobs are stifled due to overwhelming surprise.

A seven-foot tall goat woman in purple robes is looking down at you with concern, and on her robes is that same crest adorning the doorway.

All schools teach the bloody tale of Humans and Monsters, but that didn’t prepare you for being faced with one years after their massacre and supposed extinction. Her presence does answer your previous questions though, which you suppose is nice.

Monsters do still exist within Mt. Ebott, and they were definitely the architects of the doorway and symbol.

You aren’t sure if it’s the shock or the pain that prevents you from speaking, but either way you manage only a very small noise of surprise, though it sounds more like a groan of pain, and the goat woman looks increasingly concerned. You want to run, especially as she kneels down to your level.

“Don’t worry, I can heal you.” A warm green glow emits from her outstretched paws (is that politically correct?) and envelopes you. The relief is instantaneous. The magic that flows through you, knitting your broken bones back together, fills you with a sense of home and comfort. Even the air seems to smell of cinnamon and butterscotch; or maybe it’s just the goat lady.

You should probably learn her name.

Soon, she lowers her hands again and smiles gently at you.

“How do you feel now?” You hesitantly take a deep breath, amazement building up inside you. Forcing yourself to your elbows, Goat-Lady reaches out again to help you sit up. You stare at your hands, flexing your fingers wondrously, before turning your wide eyed stare to your saviour. She chuckles softly at your expression.

“How… How did you do that?” You manage to whisper. She gives you an amused look in response, a look that reminds you of your mother when you ask her questions you already know the answer to.

“Magic.”

“Can you teach me?” You expect a laugh, but instead she inhales sharply, and her expressions morphs into one of disapproval, maybe even fear.

“I think not.” You dip your head, ashamed. Of course. It was humans wielding magic that forced Monsters underground and trapped them there. You figure it’s a good thing you don’t know any magic, or that no humans can do magic anymore; not like that at least. It’s still not hard to imagine that any monster wouldn’t be too pleased to see a human in their lands, even one without magic. Although, that leaves your curious soul with another burning question.

“Why did you help me? I just… Humans kind of really…” Tried to commit genocide against your people? That didn’t seem like the right thing to say, true as it may be. You don’t know how to finish or even restart your thought process, but Goat-Lady seems to understand where you were headed with it. She gives you a sad yet gentle smile.

“Yes, humans treated monsters quite unjustly many centuries ago, but that does not justify allowing one to die when I have the power to save them.” As much as you would have understood if she had been embittered by the past and let you die (or even killed you herself) you are very grateful that her personality was very motherly instead. It seems she has a similar outlook to you: the world may be terrible, but that doesn’t mean you need to be.

There's a moment of solemn silence, where her eyes look a little glazed as if lost in thought. You don't want to interrupt her thought process, but you think you should at least introduce yourself. You let her know your name, and with your introduction, her eyes snap back to you, more focus in them.

“A lovely name. Mine is Toriel.”

“It's nice to meet you, Toriel.”

“Come,” she holds out a hand which you take, grateful for the help to get back on your feet. “Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable.” Toriel has a hand resting gently on your shoulder and gives you a slight push. You meet her gaze and are shocked at the deep sadness that lies within it. She says nothing this time, merely taking your hand and leading you onward. You glance back, thoughts moving towards your mother.

_Mom… I’m so sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im trying to keep reader as gender neutral as possible, but if anyone sees anything that they think could be worded a little more neutrally, im totally open to constructive criticism. beyond that, im always a slut for comments >:-) (pls dont be offended if i dont reply)


	2. First Encounter of the Monster Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You "solve" a puzzle and "fight" a dummy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anything sounds familiar, i did straight up lift some dialogue bc u know toby fox did an excellent job with dialogue, and who am i to mess with that  
> but uuuh.... u know i dont own anything

There are some awkward silent moments as Toriel leads you through the tunnels of the Underground. Knowing one another's names did nothing to close the distance between you so you both hesitated, unsure of what sort of conversation to have. You're glad Toriel isn't asking for your life story and what led to your falling down, but you also wish she would ask you something. You yourself can't think of anything cheerful to talk about, so you stay silent, hoping that Toriel will be the one to break the silence, before you start with your rambling curiosity.

“How often does it happen? That someone falls down I mean.” Turns out nothing stops your curiosity. Toriel hesitates at your question and you can't help but feel like you've just said something wrong.

“It's… It happens more than I would like. Not that it hasn't been a pleasure meeting you so far, but… not all monsters are so friendly towards humans.”

“Well, I can't say I don't understand the feeling. Humans are… very flawed.”

“Monsters do have their flaws too. It's wrong to place the blame entirely on one group.”

“But, to be fair, monsters weren't the ones trying to drive humans to extinction.” Toriel allows a small smile at your statement, though it looks sad.

“That is true. I wonder sometimes; there are those who would seek revenge.”

“It's totally justified too. I mean, I would prefer if everyone could just live peacefully, but lots of people tell me I'm too naive.” You're so caught up in the conversation, you barely noticed your surroundings go from the dark grey tunnels to purple brick. You briefly ponder the fact that there are purple bricks (and wow is it a lot of purple) when Toriel stops before a closed door and turns to face you.

“The RUINS are full of puzzles; ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room room. You should accustom yourself to the sight of them.” You really like the way Toriel talks; it's soft and poetic. She walks to the side to activate the switches, and as the door swings open and your attention is drawn back to it, you notice that same rune that you've seen just about everywhere at this point.

“Toriel, what's that rune you wear? I've seen it over some doorways, and it's on that door too.” Toriel's eyes follow as you gesture towards the purple door before she glances down at her own robes, recognition alight in her eyes.

“Ah, the delta rune! It is the symbol of our people. It's true meaning has been somewhat lost. Originally, it was said to represent an angel that will liberate us from the underground, but due to many years of being trapped, the meaning has warped. Many now believe it to be an angel of death.” Well, that was certainly more depressing than you hoped it would be.

“Oh. I think I like the first meaning better.”

“Yes, I do as well.” Toriel smiles down at you. As you both continue to the next room, she continues to talk about puzzles.

“Puzzles have always been an important part of Monster culture. No one is entirely certain why or how it started, but we are creatures of habit.” 

“It helps that puzzles are fun.”

“Indeed they are. Perhaps you would like to attempt some of them? It would be good practice for you.” You grin excitedly at the opportunity to solve some puzzles. This (very purple) room displayed a wall of switches, and you were about to start wandering for clues or ask Toriel, when you noticed two of the switches had been circled in yellow with lots of arrows pointing at it. You don’t think that’s how it had been originally designed, but now you definitely knew which switches to activate. You feel slightly disappointed that you didn’t get to properly solve a puzzle, but head over to the first switch anyway.

“Very good! I have of course labelled the switches that should be used. It would be terrible if anything should happen to anyone in the RUINS. Everything here is under my watch.”

“Do you reset the puzzles once they’ve been activated? Like relocking the doors?”

“Sometimes. I can leave them open for you if you wish; that way you do not need to redo the puzzles just for wanting to explore rooms you’ve already been through.”

“I think I would prefer that, thank you!” As much as you like puzzles, you can’t imagine that having to solve a puzzle every time you want to move to a different room would be fun every single time.

You flip the second switch, and watch the spikes that blocked your path disappear into the ground.

_Wait, spikes?_

“Why…” You breathe. Toriel seems to understand what you mean and merely shrugs before walking over the metal squares where the spikes used to be.

“Why not?” She counters. You follow her into the next room, and pause when you spot the dummy standing in the middle of the room. You get the feeling you’re going to be seeing some really wild things. “Now, as a human living in the Underground, you should be taught about Encounters.” You can really hear the way she capitalizes the word.

“Um, okay?” You have no idea what she’s talking about, and judging by the patient smile she gives you, she knows it.

“An Encounter happens with your SOUL.” This causes you to blanch.

“What? What do you mean my soul?” Toriel blanches in return.

“Surely you know about SOULs?”

“Well… I know about the idea of souls; that everyone has one and that they’re not really finite like our physical forms are. They were also important somehow during… the war… but our history books don’t really go into much detail.” Toriel doesn’t seem pleased with that knowledge.

“Of course. I will be sure to teach you all I know, but later. For now I shall be brief, as you should have some understanding before we get much further. Your SOUL is the culmination of your very being. Speak with the Dummy, this will be easier to explain when you can see.” Unsure of what exactly she meant, and anxious about what could happen, you cautiously approach the Dummy. Staring into its eyes, you feel a little foolish, but you follow Toriel’s instructions. You say hello, still maintaining eye contact, and feel a tug somewhere deep within your chest.

The purple ruins fade away, and you’re surrounded by darkness. Across from you is the Dummy, and floating in front of you, glowing with a soft light, is a small, green heart.

You’re transfixed by the sight of it, and reach a hand out to touch it.

“I wouldn’t.” Toriel’s soft voice snaps you out of your reverie. “To touch a SOUL is a very intimate gesture, even when it’s your own. It’s also very personal, and so not something you want to do when other people are present.” You feel your face flushing, though you can tell that she doesn't mean a sexual sort of intimate.

“This… is my SOUL?” Your voice is a whisper, and you can’t look away from the gentle, green glow.

“Yes. Human SOULs all have a colour that corresponds to that particular human’s strongest aspect. In your case, it is your KINDNESS that shines forth above all else.” You suck in a breath at that, tears springing forth in your eyes. You rub at them uncomfortably. You never liked being the centre of attention, and now you literally had your SOUL bared in front of you.

“Um, so… What… I mean what’s this? The RUINS, they’re gone?”

“Not gone; this is what happens when you enter an Encounter. Now, in front of you should also be buttons, of sorts. Do you see them?” You look down and wonder how you missed that. At about hip level are four glowing, yellow… Well, they’re more like floating panels than buttons. None are much bigger than the width of both hands side by side. Each one has a word on it.

FIGHT

ACT

ITEM

MERCY

“What are they?” You reach a hand out, fingers hovering over ACT.

“They are your choices during an Encounter. Now, many monsters may try to fight you down here. When that happens, you can ACT. You should simply speak with the monsters you Encounter. If you stall for time, I can come and diffuse the situation.”

“So… it’s like a turn-based video game?”

“Of sorts, yes.” You look back up at Toriel, who seems surprised. You’re not sure if it’s your quick acceptance of the situation, or the analogy that’s thrown her.

“Were humans able to do this before? Back when monsters were above ground? I mean, magic hasn’t existed on the surface in years. When we fight each other now it’s just… well… it doesn’t involve all this.”

“That makes sense. Human mages did exist, but I suppose without the ‘threat’ of monsters, you would have lost the need for magic. Even here we do not necessarily need Encounters to fight; it all depends on the intent. A friendly wrestling or sparring match between friends for instance would not cause anyone any harm, because friends do not intend friends harm. With strangers however, there is always the air of caution, and that leads to an intent. It is not always an intent to harm, but it is not entirely friendly either.” You nod along, taking in the information. It was a lot to think about, but you were understanding it well enough.

“So, if I didn’t actually want to fight, or cause any harm, I could just use ACT? Or MERCY?”

“Correct! I’m impressed you’re picking this up so quickly!” Her praise causes you to blush. “MERCY is an easy one. When your enemy no longer wishes to fight, you can use MERCY to SPARE them. Before then, however, you need to convince them not to fight. Try ACTing on this Dummy here. Since it’s just a Dummy, it won’t get a turn, and you can just focus on prACTicing.” She looks at you slyly and it takes you a moment before you burst out laughing. What are the odds that you would encounter a goat monster with a penchant for terrible puns and jokes. You really like Toriel.

You refocus your attention to the Dummy, a smile still playing on your lips. Looking down at the panels near your hips, you gently press the one that says ACT. It’s warm to the touch but disappears immediately, the warmth on your fingers lingering. You wait, expecting further instructions or something, but nothing shows up.

“Toriel?” You look to her hesitantly, but she anticipates your question and shakes her head.

“You must choose how to ACT on your own. Pressing the button merely indicates the move you wish to take.”  
Oh. You guess that makes sense. This is real life after all and not a video game, strange as it may be.

No matter what, you’re not sure how to ACT towards a Dummy. So you raise your hand, smile politely, and say hello.

.

.

.

The Dummy doesn’t respond.

“Very good!” You feel your ears heat up at the praise, though you still feel wildly uncertain.

“Nothing… really happened though? I mean, I didn’t really expect much, but I still… somehow expected more?” Toriel chuckles, clasping her hands together.

“Well, it should be your turn again. When your opponent in an Encounter no longer wishes to fight, you can SPARE them!” You nod your head, remembering that she had mentioned that earlier. You look down to your hip panels, and press MERCY. Unlike with ACT, this brings up a secondary selection of buttons; like a drop down menu almost. The only option is a yellow word: SPARE. You press your fingers into it, watching it evaporate as the dark atmosphere also fades and the purple bricks of the Ruins come back into view. The last thing to change is your SOUL, shrinking into a small ball of green light, and gently floating back to your chest. It’s warmth spreads through you as it makes contact.

Looking up at Toriel, you see her smiling at you with pride.

“Well done! Now, if your opponent is not ready to end an encounter, the SPARE option will be white, and thus will have no effect. During some encounters you may have the option to FLEE as well. This usually only presents itself as an option during the most dire of circumstances.” It's hard to imagine being in an encounter wherein you don't even have the free will to just walk away, and you really hope you're never put in that position. You put a hand to your chest, thinking about the green glow of your SOUL and how similar it was to that of the healing magic that Toriel used.

“Toriel? I really hope this doesn’t sound rude, and you of course don’t need to answer, but I was just wondering, if it’s not too personal, um… What does your SOUL look like? Are monster SOULs very different from human SOULs?” You see a light blush glow through the white fur of Toriel’s cheeks, but you force your anxiety back as she answers.

“Visually they are quite similar. They take the same heart shape, though inverted, and all monster SOULs are white.”

“But, your magic was green? I thought maybe it would be the same colour as your SOUL.”

“A reasonable assumption, however the colour of magic depends on the type of magic being used. A generic monster attack will appear white, while a magic attack will vary based on the attack. Generally, a magic attack is cyan in colour, while healing magic is green. But enough of this talk. Let's get you home, and then I shall show you my books and answer all your questions! It will be much more comfortable that way.” You giggle and nod your head in agreement as your stomach growls loudly. Toriel laughs at that.

“Of course, I shall make you some food as well.” You can only imagine how red your face must be at this point, and you wonder if it would just stay that way permanently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my writing style could probably be described as "overly descriptive"...... i want to be like tolkien.  
> i have Plans for how Encounters work in this story  
> thanks for reading and leaving kudos kids ✌ ive got like seven chapters already planned so updates should be somewhat frequent for a while.  
> feel free to drop a comment idk have fun


	3. Nothing Like a Good Book and a Crackling Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes having a rational brain gets you in trouble, but you're basically a cat. You just can't tamp down that curiosity.

Toriel walked you all the way to her home where she immediately showed you her small library before getting to work on a butterscotch cinnamon pie.

“These books should answer most, if not all your questions about SOULs and Encounters. I also have some history books you may read if you wish to learn more about the RUINS.” She explains before leaving you to choose your own book. There are a few books that catch your eye: _Lessons in Encounters_ , _A Study Guide to SOULs_ , and _Monster History_. Pulling them out to inspect them further, you rifle through the pages and realize that many of these books are intended for monster children. They’re written in way that would make many intellectuals grumble. The words are simple and the sentences are phrased in ways that would allow anyone to understand. You smile, appreciating how monsters write books to educate instead of confound, but you decide not to read any of those texts. Instead you pull a fairly thick volume simply titled ' _About SOULs_ ' from the shelf. It looks a little more thorough with its explanations, which is what you really want. You want to understand everything there is to know.

Sitting on the floor in front of the fire somehow seems more comfortable than the oversized armchair, so you happily drop down and shift yourself into a comfortable position as you start reading.

It’s always been easy for you to get lost amidst the oceans of knowledge within books. You forget the world around you; the crackle of the fire, the discomfort of having your shoulders hunched, the smell of freshly cooked butterscotch wafting through the room. You have no idea how much time has passed with your nose deep within the pages of the book on SOULs when Toriel returns with a cup of tea. Her reappearance was enough to pull you out of the calming waves you were entranced by and the world makes itself known to you again. The smell of the pie mixed with the smell of the fire wafting through the house fills you with a sense of peace.

It’s the most content you can ever remember feeling.

“The pie just needs a while to cool down now. Do you have any questions so far?” You register that your brow is quite furrowed and you blink a few times, smoothing out your features.

“It's just… Technically I understand it, but I don't… Fully comprehend? I mean, sure, a SOUL is made of magic, but what's magic made of? Is it energy? Is it matter? Does it actually have any earth-known properties? I know why we have nothing about SOULs above ground now, I mean, how is one even supposed to study SOULs? You can see them and touch them sure, but how do they shatter? What are they made of that-” You cut yourself off, locking eyes with Toriel who looks even more confused than you feel. Your mouth gapes in a very fishy matter, when she smiles hesitantly at you.

“Well, I did not expect this level of interest! Unfortunately, I am not a scientist, so I do not have the answer to any of those questions.” The smile fades as her face goes very serious. Even with the fire, a slight chill fills the room and your jaw snaps shut as she continues. “I must ask that you do not attempt to find answers to some of these questions.”

“I… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-”

“I trust that you were simply being curious, but nonetheless I am warning you.” You can only nod, eyes wide.

“I'm sorry.” You really don’t mean anyone harm and feel very bad for even accidentally insinuating that you would. Toriel's facade softens as she considers you.

“I merely wish to keep everyone safe.” She reaches over and gently takes the book of SOULs from you, putting it away and handing you a different book. You look at it, reading the title, then glance back up at her, confused.

“A book on snail facts?”

“Yes! It teaches you all sorts of helpful facts, such as that snails would make terrible shoelaces!” The notion of someone even attempting to use snails as shoelaces is such a ridiculous image, you can’t stop the giggle that bursts from your lips.

“I can only imagine! Snails are pretty cool though. I like that they get to just carry their homes with them. I mean, I know that's not exactly what a shell is, but it's still a cute concept.” Toriel looks pleased that you've accepted the new book, then grabs one for herself as she sits next to you in the armchair that fits her perfectly. You ignore the cup of tea that she had set down for you, getting enthralled instead in the book of snail facts. You are surprised to see that it does actually contain some ridiculous facts, including the one about snails making terrible shoelaces. You're admiring a diagram of how a snail's shell follows the Fibonacci sequence when Toriel's voice makes you jump slightly. You had completely forgotten where you were.

“Sorry, Toriel, what did you say?”Her ever present patient smile adorns her features as she repeats her question, though you notice the curiosity lingering in her eyes.

“How old are you?” You actually have to think about it for a second, partially because you weren't expecting the question, but also because who ever knows their age off the top of their head once they pass, like, 19. You let her know your age nevertheless, and she seems surprised by the response.

“Goodness! I must say, I am not very accustomed with the way humans age, especially as it is at a much slower rate than a monster's. I did think you were still a child. You must forgive the way I was treating you.”

“Oh, no worries! I wasn't offended or anything. I think I also just kind of defaulted to… um… well, never mind.” Your voice turns to a mutter, shocked at how easy you find Toriel to talk to.

“Please! I’m very curious to know how you think of me.” She’s teasing you a little bit, but you can tell she’s also genuinely curious. Your face is blushing furiously again, especially under her gaze, but you manage to mumble out your embarrassing confession.

“Kind of thought of you like my mom.” With your gaze lowered you don't see the range of emotions flitting across Toriel's face before they settle and she softly places a hand on your shoulder. Looking up, all you see is gentle love shining through her features.

“If it would please you to call me ‘mom’, you may do so. I do not mind.” A smile forces its way onto your lips, but you still feel awkward and so avert your gaze. You hear the rustling of pages and are aware that Toriel has gone back to reading her book. The snail diagrams beckon you back down to your own book but having been successfully distracted, your attention slides back to the topic of SOULs. If only you could make your SOUL appear outside of an Encounter, you’re certain you could learn something. It’s not like you could go around asking to touch the SOULs of other monsters, and you certainly didn’t want to seriously hurt someone over some research. It frustrates you that there's so much out there to learn about, but it never feels like there's enough time or resources to actually do the work.

Ultimately you decide that you can be content with the contents of Toriel’s books. After all, you’re pretty sure that monsters know more about SOULs than humans do, so their books should be a decent source of information. After all, the knowledge of SOULs and magic were all but erased from history as it is, and plenty of facts that you learned growing up don't apply to what you're learning now.

You heave out a sigh, trying to focus on snails.

The warmth of the fireplace and the occasional popping and crackle of the embers warms you to your bones. You end up lying down, head somewhat awkwardly propped on an elbow while holding the snail book with the other hand. You don’t even realize how comfortable you are until you blink your eyes blearily and see a sizeable slice of pie in front of you.

“The pie should still be a decent temperature, even though it was right next to the fire with you.”

You’re surprised you had managed to fall asleep at all, considering your neck is so stiff you can’t even turn to face Toriel. You sit up as carefully as you can, trying not to jostle your neck too much. You stretch it out slowly, inhaling the smell of cinnamon and butterscotch. It makes you smile, and with the fireplace still popping you feel more at home here than you’ve felt anywhere in years. Once your neck feels like everything is back in place, you take a small forkful of pie.

It’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted in your life.

“Toriel, this is amazing.” You turn to your new goat mom, certain there are stars in your eyes.

“Thank you, my child. But please, you mustn’t speak with your mouth full.” She laughs softly, and you bob your head, scooping more of the delicious pie into your mouth. You definitely want the recipe for this. And another slice. The plate is empty before you know it, and Toriel is laughing again.

“Perhaps you should have a proper nap before having more pie.” You hadn’t considered how tired you were, but now you’re inclined to agree with Toriel. While the pie has left you feeling more than satisfied, there is an odd feeling in your stomach; almost like a hunger pang. Toriel takes the plate to the kitchen for you as you return your book to the bookshelf, the book on SOULs catching your eye again. You also notice that Toriel has her shelf sorted by author, and that there are a book about Encounters next to the one of SOULs by the same monster.

“W.D. Gaster…” Based on his books, you wonder if he is also a scientist, and if there’s any way you could meet him. You’d love to talk to someone who has a proper understanding of the way magic works, of what makes magic work. You refocus your attention as Toriel comes out of the kitchen and offers to show you to your room.

“It is a fairly sizeable house, and I don’t mind you using this old room.” She opens the door and you hesitate. The room is pretty cute; it’s decently sized and has a wardrobe in one corner with a bed parallel to it on the other wall. The part that has you hesitating is the amount of children’s paraphernalia. Even the bed looks a little small for you. Part of you wants to ask Toriel if she actually has a child, the other part doesn’t want to hear a story that just might break your heart.

All things considered, you manage to swallow your curiosity and thank her for her generosity.

“I know it’s probably a little… childish for you. We can figure something better out once you’ve had some proper rest. I’m sure this has been quite the day for you.” She runs a hand over your head fondly, gently mussing your hair. She walks away as you enter the room, absently closing the door behind you. Her words take a moment to really sink in.

‘ _Quite the day… It really has only been a few hours hasn’t it…_ ’ Your knees buckle slightly, the emotional toll of the last few hours catching up with you. The mere presence of Toriel had kept you grounded; stable; comfortable. Now that you were on your own in a childless childrens room, there was nothing to keep your mind distracted. You stumble over to the bed and collapse onto it (definitely made for a child) as your breath hitches in your throat. Dragging the pillow over your face, you bite into it, muffling the first sob.

‘ _What am I doing here?_ ’

You miss your family. You miss your best friend. Most of all, you miss yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter wasn't supposed to end on an angsty note... alas... here we are.
> 
> the ruins will be explored v soon in more detail than i should probably give them. i added "slow burn" to the tags for a reason (its bc who doesnt like to suffer) and did chekov leave a couple guns in my chapter?? hmmm ;-)
> 
> pls comment and tell me im living up to my idols Tolkien and Hugo byeeeee


	4. A Monster Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You adjust to the Underground, and Toriel takes you to the market.

You had forgotten about your phone until you woke up and checked it, mind still hazy from sleep. Once you regained your bearings, you had to double check. You were amazed that it still worked and the screen hadn't shattered after your fall. It was also the only reason you know it's been 3 days since that fateful day.

You had spent those days in Toriel's home, mentally and physically adjusting to your new surroundings and debating what you want to do next.

The physical adjustment was by far the worst. Monster food apparently was just made of magic; it dissolved on the tongue and left you feeling mostly full and completely rejuvenated.

It made you sick the first day. The pains the pie had caused were a sort of hunger pang you never expected. Your brain knew you didn't need more food or energy, but as nothing had actually reached your stomach, your body freaked out. Toriel had tutted and rubbed your back, offering you tea that gave you temporary relief. She had made it with real water, so that something would reach your stomach and you weren't just dry heaving. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you wonder where she had gotten the water from, and also how she thought of it. It didn't take as long as you feared to adjust; only about 36 hours. You stopped drinking real water once you adjusted. Due to not having digestive systems, monsters also do not have toilets, and you aren't really interested in dealing with that problem.

The mental adjustment came with a lot of guilt. You feel bad about taking so long to determine your next move since Toriel really seems to be enjoying your company, and you can't even imagine how lonely she must be here in the RUINs. You don't want to leave her, but you don't feel right staying either.

Getting along with her is easy though. She’s always telling bad jokes that you find hilarious, and is very interested in learning more about the surface. You feel bad talking about it too much because she gets a sad look in her eyes and her smile doesn't spread as far as it usually does, but she insists that she's fine and just misses the sun and fresh air. If you're starting to feel that after just 3 days, you'd hate to know just how bad the feeling must be for monsters.

“I just don't want to be telling you things that are going to make you sad.”

“Oh, my child, I believe it just comes with the territory at this point. I want to hear about the surface; I used to just read my books when I wanted to remember things like birds, but you are much more colourful with your words. All my books are mere explanations for children to understand. You truly capture the feeling one can get basking in the sun. The emotion in your voice is far more than a book could ever give me.” You both sigh deeply at the thought of the warmth of the sun shining down, the mere memory of it filling you with calm. You sit in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes, both of you watching the flames in the fireplace flicker and the wood pop.

“Well, we should acquire some more groceries. Would you like to come with me to the market? I do believe you should be strong enough, and I'm sure you'll meet some very interesting people!” Your brain short circuits at the thought of meeting more monsters. You knew it was bound to happen, but you don't think you would ever quite be ready to meet more monsters than Toriel.

Which means there's no time like the present.

“Yeah, that would be really exciting! I'd love to see a monster market.” Toriel seems pleased by your enthusiasm and within a couple minutes has you wrapped in a purple cloak with the delta rune embroidered onto it. The cloak fits you perfectly.

“Is this an old cloak of yours?” You ask softly, marvelling at the soft fabric and delicate handiwork. You had never paid much attention to clothes or fabrics before, but this was so different from anything else you had ever worn.

“Oh, no. I had it made for you.” This throws you for a loop. Part of you feels very uncomfortable accepting such a remarkable gift, the other part is already in love with the cloak and never wants to return it. Of course, you listen to the more negative side.

“Toriel, I couldn’t possibly accept this.” You start to remove it, but the goat monster firmly places her hands on your shoulders, trapping the cloak in place.

“Child, there’s nothing else I could possibly do with it. It certainly won’t fit anyone else around here.” You feel close to tears, but you can’t say why. Nostalgia, guilt, homesick… There were too many variables. A soft sniffle fights its way to the surface, but beyond that you manage to hold your composure. You had been doing so well not crying on the surface, you have no intentions of turning into a blithering idiot now that you’re underground. So instead you accept the gift, nodding and beaming up at your pseudo-mom.

“Thank you.”

“You are very welcome, my child. Now, come along! It’s time you meet some monsters. I’m sure you must be tiring of my face.” You chuckle gently at the self deprecating joke, squeezing Toriel’s hand as you follow along.

“Toriel, I would never!” Despite the jovial laugh she bleats out, you can see her shoulders stiffen and the hand enclosed around yours tightens its grip ever so softly. You can’t help but think that if you could see her eyes right now, they would hold a deep sadness.

~~~ooo~~~

It doesn’t take too long to make it to the market, and once there, you can’t help shrinking into Toriel’s side, much as a young child would. What you had seen of the Ruins so far led you to believe that they were quite small - and they were - but the market held within was far larger than any farmer’s market you had seen on the surface. It was also bustling with monsters.

Again, not a lot compared to the size of the Ruins, but enough to make you feel uncertain of yourself. A lot of monsters turn as you and Toriel enter the room. Many glance only at Toriel before averting their eyes, but there a few who watch you, curious. You can’t help but stare back. Like Toriel, many of these monsters resemble things you know from the surface. The frogs kind of stand out the most, and seem the most curious, inching towards you and Toriel. Amongst them are monsters that resemble bugs; one type is bipedal with antennae, the other simply has you thinking “ghost fly”. There’s also a few jell-o, and carrot looking monsters, and another which you can only think of as a cyclops with horns.

You’re so busy being transfixed by the remarkable biodiversity, you don’t notice the frog-types slinking back into the crowd, or the chastising look on Toriel’s face.

She leads to one of the carrot-looking vendors and you try not to laugh. On their booth they have a variety of fruits and vegetables for sale. Toriel selects some tomatoes, leeks, and potatoes as you and the carrot stare each other down. The monster has a very unsettling grin on their face that by all rights would have you burying your face further into Toriel’s robes, but you’re too enthralled with visually studying it as much as you can.

One of the perks of being a scientist, you suppose, is that you will always be curious before you are afraid.

As Toriel pays and nudges you along, the vegetable monster hisses something, and it takes a second for you to process the noise as words.

“Eat your greens!” Your jaw drops, and you feel rather than hear the chuckle that rumbles through Toriel.

“That’s a Vegetoid. Their grins can be a little unsettling, but they simply wish for people to eat healthy.” You fail to find any words, looking around instead at all the monsters that are analyzing you just as much as you are analyzing them.

You stop by a couple more booths, Toriel buying ingredients for baking as well as a couple cookies from a cyclops selling sweets. She then leads you to a bench where she offers you a cookie, and starts pointing out some of the monster types.

“Those are Froggits. They’re quite innocent, and very curious. I’m sure they would love to speak with you, but I must admit I am concerned about you entering any Encounters. Your HP was… Quite low after your fall.” That information makes you shiver, and you wonder what it’s at now. You didn’t even notice during your Encounter with the Dummy what your HP was.

“Oh, over there is a Whimsum and a Loox; the Whimsum being the one with wings. Both are quite sensitive creatures, so if you ever meet either, please be gentle with them. The Migosp over there are very independent and don’t much care for interacting with anyone else, though they do tolerate the occasional Moldsmal. The Moldsmal themselves don’t do much beyond wiggle around.” You giggle lightly, watching a Moldsmal make it’s way past the bench you and Toriel are sitting on.

“Are there more types of monsters?” Toriel hesitates for a moment before replying, and she doesn’t meet your eyes when she does. She watches the Moldsmal wiggle along as she tells you about the expanse of the Underground and how there are more monsters throughout the mountain. She tells you about how when they were first forced underground, they called the first settlement Home, and when it became to small for the growing population, they moved on and founded many new cities until they came to New Home. Then she hesitated again.

“Circumstances… Changed. I had to leave New Home. I came back here with some monsters who followed, then closed the doors to New Home. The Ruins are small, but they are Home.” She smiles down at you, and you can see the hope in her face, but you can also see the tears that she’s holding back. You want to press. You want to know what the circumstances that caused her to leave were. You want to know more about who she is, that monsters would willingly follow her and get themselves trapped in the tiny ruins of an abandoned home when there could be so much more waiting out there for them.

You say nothing.

Some of the hope in her face fades away, and she turns away from you.

“You’re not the first human to come here. In a way, I hope you’re the last.” You can tell she didn’t say that to be harsh, and it doesn’t offend you. It does feel ominous though, and you feel yourself hoping that she’s right; that you are the last human to fall down here. The feeling isn’t anything to go off though, and you know you need to know more about what she means.

Before you can ask her anything however, she gets up from the bench, grabbing her bags.

“Well, I’m going to head home and whip up some more pie. Would you like to come with me or explore a little more about the Ruins?” The shift in tone has you reeling slightly, but your answer is easy.

“Oh, um, I’d like to explore. There were signs for a spider bake sale and I’m very interested to see that.” This has Toriel smiling pleasantly at you.

“Very good! Here is some gold, if you wish to purchase anything while you’re there. I should also like to put my phone number in your phone. Although you may need to do it. We do have excellent technology down here and very good reception, but I’m afraid I am not very good with much of this new technology. Your phone is very foreign to me.” That has you laughing. Parents not understanding new tech really was just a universal thing. Exchanging numbers (and still marvelling at the fact that your phone hasn’t died) you and Toriel bid each other farewell.

“And remember, let me know if you get into an Encounter. I do not wish for anything bad to happen to you.”

“Don’t worry, Toriel. I will.” She smiles, appeased, then ruffles your hair gently before heading off. As you watch her recede, you turn your attention back to the patrons of the market and pause. They’re all staring at you, and for a single moment you want to run.

Then a Froggit hops up to you, and tilts its head curiously. You feel a tug in your SOUL, and gasp as you’re drawn into an Encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter so far, and i intend for them to get longer. I've been aiming for 3 pages per chapter; managed 4 for this one.  
> was in a rut for a bit but uuuh hopefully im back now. i missed writing  
> you cant see it but your comments do give me life! I'll try being better at replying to anyone bc im verr grateful for you ♡


	5. Meeting the Neighbours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn more about Encounters, and come up with even more questions that need answering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a heads up about angst at the end of the chapter related to self-esteem issues. be kind with yourself as you read <3

Having your SOUL removed from your body is a very uncomfortable feeling you hope you never need to get used to.

The Froggit that brought you into this encounter is listing side-to-side, just watching you. It makes you a little nervous, and a bit uncomfortable. The Froggit itself doesn’t really look that intimidating, but the only other Encounter you had ever been in was against a Dummy while Toriel was standing by. You could just call Toriel now; she did tell you to, but you feel like she would just stop the Encounter and you wouldn’t learn anything.

And you really want to learn more about Encounters.

It seems like the Froggit is letting you take the first move, so you brush your fingertips over the ACT button. Memories of the Encounter with the Dummy come rushing back and you figure you might as well handle this much the same way. You lift a hand, a little nervously, and say hi.

The Froggit cocks its head, curious look still in place. It lifts a flippered foot in response and croaks. The croak releases a swarm of little white flies that head straight for your exposed SOUL.

You react on instinct, dodging out of the way, anger flaring up, but also confusion. Do monsters just interact by attacking? Why would the Froggit attack you when all you did was say hi? You shove your anger down, sure that there's a reasonable explanation, and not wanting to cause harm.

Besides, the attack was easy enough to dodge.

You don’t hesitate to select ACT again for your turn, but beyond that, you don’t know what to do. You stare at the Froggit, noticing the little face that seems to be nestled in between it’s legs. Checking the Froggit and it’s mysterious second face out, you notice a display panel hovering in the aether below the Froggit with some stats and a small sentence.

**_Froggit_ **

**HP: 30**

**AT: 4**

**DF: 5**

**_Life is difficult for this enemy._ **

It disappears after a moment, and you feel the shift to the Froggit’s turn. Opening it’s mouth again, you don’t dodge the flies that fly at you this time. You need to learn somehow, and you think you’re ready for whatever this Froggit decides to throw - or spit - at you. The fly that hits your SOUL disappears on contact, but the pain vibrates through you, like hitting your funny bone on the edge of a table, but more intense. You’ve never been electrocuted, but you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that it feels like this. You see your SOUL flicker, even as the other flies soar right through it.

 _‘Cool, momentary invincibility.’_ Watching your life turn into a video game is not the way you envisioned your future.

The whole attack only lasts a few seconds, and has you still wondering if monsters just attack on instinct when in Encounters. You figure you’ll have to get real good at dodging around here.

Shifting back to your turn, you still don’t know what to do. Vaguely, you notice that below your options are your own stats. Your name, your… Level? LV 1, and your HP… You’re a little freaked out by that, as it says HP 1/5. But the Froggit has 30? Is it weird that you have so little HP? You definitely regret letting yourself get hit. You’re also definitely going to be asking Toriel so many questions about Encounters. Can you raise your HP? What happens when your HP reaches zero?

You’re spiraling, and you need to finish this Encounter without discovering the answer to that last question. You do the first thing you can think of: hitting ACT and putting your hands in front of you, fingers splayed. The Froggit narrows their eyes at you.

“Do you want to see a trick?” When they nod, hesitantly, you smile and touch your thumbs to your index fingers, making two rings. You make a big show of how the rings are unattached, before slipping your hands behind your head, then bringing them forward again, finger rings now connected.

The Froggit's jaw drops. You try not to laugh, even as the Encounter ends and they hop forward to investigate your fingers. The joviality fades away as the Froggit speaks to you, which you weren't really expecting. It’s voice is warbly, like someone talking around a mouthful of water.

“Such strange magic you possess.” You almost tell them that it’s not actually magic; that it’s just a simple hand trick meant to entertain children but then you think that might be mean. Maybe the Froggit is a child; it’s not like you know how to tell. The genuine fascination helps keep you calm though, so you reply honestly.

“Thank you. You’re pretty cool yourself.” A green blush creeps onto the white cheeks of the Froggit; thinking about Toriel, you briefly wonder if all monsters are white.

Then you wonder if it was racist to think that. You’re brought out of your musings when the little frog speaks up.

“What manner of monster are you?”

“Oh, I’m human.” The world seems to freeze as you let the declaration slip from your lips, silently cursing. You’re pretty sure that if Toriel were here, she would be way less than impressed. What if someone here harbours resentment for humans?

“A human? What's that?” Looking around, you see only confusion on the surrounding monsters’ faces. Not being a philosopher, you have a very simple answer for the curious beings.

“Well, I'm a human, and any creature who kind of looks like me would also be human. We come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours though, so they don’t all look exactly like me.”

“Monsters also come in many shapes, sizes, and colours! Are you sure a human is not also a monster?” A good point.

“Well… No, I'm actually not sure about that. Although, I think monsters don't have digestive systems so maybe we can go by that? But all multi-celled beings on the surface have digestive systems so that’s not a good distinguishing feature. We have thumbs?” You give the crowd of confused monsters a thumbs up and an uncertain smile. This was tougher than you thought. Calling humans featherless bipedals wasn't really an option here, since that would technically make Toriel a human too. Probably Loox and Froggits as well, as it doesn’t look like they have feathers either.

Trying to define humans to sentient non-humanoid beings is definitely taking your mind off your low HP though.

Shit. You were trying to forget about that.

It occurs to you that you’re definitely overthinking things. As usual. You take a deep breath, ready to try again, but the monsters seemed to have already moved on, dissatisfied at the length of time it took you to think. Or perhaps they were simply content with believing that you are a monster. Much of the crowd went back to their market, seemingly satisfied, but there was still a small variety standing in front of you. They look a little smaller in stature, and you figure they must be children. Two Loox stand off to the side, with a Migosp creeping behind them. Four Froggits, including the one you’d had the Encounter with, were getting real close to putting their flippered feet on you. Not that you would really mind; you're just as curious about them after all.

Plus these monster kids are super cute. They range in sizes, the Froggits coming up no further than your waist while the Loox were just about as tall as you. The Migosp sat around chest level compared to you, and all the adult counterparts were wider in berth, and only a few inches taller as opposed to the few feet an adult human would have on an adult child.

Toriel appears to be an outlier amongst the rest of the monsters so far.

“Are humans good at telling stories?” You hadn’t even noticed a Whimsun had also hung around, and their whisper was not easy to hear.

“Some of us are. I’m not.”

“Do you have any really cool special attacks?” One of the Loox piped in.

“Uh, I don't think so.”

“What's your name?” You aren't used to having so much attention focused on you, especially from children. In any other situation you might feel uncomfortable, but something about these kids and their open curiosity keeps you calm. Everybody introduces themselves, and you find out that most of them already know each other. Turns out Toriel runs a school out of her home, and these kids are classmates. It doesn’t surprise you at all to know that Toriel is a teacher; it makes you really happy.

The kids start telling you stories about how kind Toriel is, and so good at teaching. They admit that, like you, they see Toriel as a mom, whether or not they have one already.

“I fell and skinned my knee once, and she healed it right up!”

“She’s always making sure nobody picks on me.”

“She doesn’t force me to play with others.” The migosp is still hanging back, and reminds you of a teenager trying to be cool. Standing away from the crowd, but still getting involved in the conversation. You don’t judge; you give Argys a small smile and he nods in response. He continues to stick around as the other kids ask you about your favourite teacher, favourite snacks, favourite colours, but doesn’t get any more involved in conversation.

You don’t realize how much time had passed, or that the parents of the kids were standing around, waiting for their kids.

“Marse, Phoemus, it’s time to go.” An older Loox called for her kids. They groaned and whined, but moms are not easily swayed. The Froggits don't wait to be called, seeing their own parents waiting for them and hopping off.

“Are you gonna be around tomorrow?” Argys is pretty quiet; probably doesn’t want anyone to overhear him being interested in hanging out. You match the level of his voice, respecting that he doesn’t want attention drawn to him.

“I should be. Where do the kids usually hang out?”

“Usually in Miss Toriel’s yard. She has a cool tree.” You’d probably call it a dead tree, but you’re not about to inform children of that fact. Besides, the fact that the tree is pitch black is pretty cool.

“Then I’ll probably see you around there.” Argys nods and rushes off to his family. You notice how he seems less hunched - less guarded - than before.

As the families filter out of the market and into the buildings in the distance, you find yourself once again questioning what you’re going to do next. Probably just explore the RUINS more. Toriel had shown you through most of the RUINS, but there were some areas you would like to revisit; plus the spider bake sale.

Honestly, with a flyer that says ‘by spiders, for spiders, of spiders’ how could you not be interested?

You aren’t sure how to find your way there, but wandering is as good of a way as any. You don’t make it very far before you run into your first puzzle. Unfortunately, it’s a set of spikes that prevents you from moving into the next room, where the switches to lower the spikes are. You’re grumbling about how meticulous Toriel is about setting these puzzles, when it occurs to you that there must be another switch that would allow you to set the spikes from the side you’re currently on, otherwise nobody would be able to move through the RUINS.

You investigate the brick walls, hoping for some kind of small button or something hidden within the mortar, or a loose brick that you can push in. You don’t see anything obvious, so you turn your attention down to the spikes at your feet. They’re pretty formidable for spikes. You’re used to seeing spikes as just little studs on dog collars or punk accessories, but these ones are sharpened to points, and as high as your knees. You could probably step over them, but you don’t want to run the risk of falling and impaling yourself. You’d had enough of that this week already. You turn your attention back to the wall, and notice what you didn’t before.

A cracked brick.

It hadn’t stood out to you before; you had seen plenty of broken bricks on the surface, you didn’t think broken bricks down here would mean a whole lot more. The RUINS are made out of brick, it would make sense that there would be a few cracked ones. Except there aren’t. Out of all of the bricks that you can see around you, including beyond the spikes, this is the only one that looks ever so slightly damaged.

Perhaps from being pressed constantly.

You push the purple rectangle, almost squealing in glee when it gives a couple inches, the spikes shooting downwards. Safe in the next zone, you look around for a way to reset them. When Toriel had walked you through earlier, you hadn’t been paying that much attention. You wanted to, but the shock was causing you to mostly just zone out, paying attention only to respond to the occasional question from your saviour. You regret not focusing more, just like all the times you had basically missed class in school, despite being present.

Eventually you find another weathered brick, this one a little lower to the ground. The spikes make their reappearance, and you repeat this method for another three rooms. These rooms were rather fascinating, and also somewhat annoying. They were exact replicas of each other, just rotated 90 degrees. That must be a pain to travel through daily. You’re tempted to leave the traps activated, but you don’t want to be disrespectful of monster culture.

You finally make it past all the rooms with columns and two consecutive sets of spikes (seriously, why not just invest in doors?) when you find yourself in a hallway with six separate, cracked patches of floor and three slits in the wall. You wonder if maybe it’s for ventilation somehow, but they also look just big enough to crawl through, and who needs vents that big? You aren’t really paying attention to where you’re walking as you move closer to the wall to investigate, when you feel the ground shift underneath you.

The stone gives out and with a screech you fall a couple feet, landing on your ass. There’s a pile of leaves on the ground, some of them scattering at the impact.  Your teeth clack together, luckily not with your tongue between them, and your eyes water.

“Seriously, what the fuck?” If you weren’t so angry right now, you would be impressed at just how angry you are. You sit for a moment, rubbing your bruised rear and sniffling, trying to calm down. Muttering about how monsters need better safety regulations and to consider not having dangerous puzzles helps ease the pain and the anger. When you finally feel better, taking a couple deep breaths, you reassess your current situation.

You’re getting a bit tired of doing that.

You notice a switch on the wall and a flight of stairs in the wall, and feel somewhat better at having discovered what the holes in the upper portion of the room are.

You almost scream again at the sight of the ghost lying on the ground.

Sometimes you’re really happy about having grown up with anxiety. It’s helped prepare you for so many situations where controlled breathing was necessary. The cave-in in Peru, getting around your fear of dogs, the whole lead up to moving to Mt. Ebott, stopping the anxiety attacks that come up every time you think about your past…

You take a huge deep breath, forcing the screaming memories from your mind, trying to stay in the moment.

The moment that contains a ghost.

A ghost that literally just looks like someone wearing a sheet.

A ghost that seems to be making a “zzzzz” sound?

The point is, the ghost is in your way of the stairs.

“Um, excuse me?” You expect a snuffling, perhaps. Sounds of someone waking up. You don’t expect the ghost to make the zzz sounds even louder and start to mutter.

“.......just keep pretending to be asleep……...”

“Uh… Sorry, but you’re actually in my way?”

“Zzzzz… they’re not gone yet?” You aren’t really sure what else to do, so you start to lean over, with the intent to maybe just tap them on the shoulder or something, when you feel that familiar tug in your chest and the world around you fades to black. The green SOUL in front of you pulses gently as the ghost faces you, looking as awkward as you have ever seen a ghost look.

Not that you have any basis for comparison.

The ghost gets the first move, and seems to use it to slouch a little more and mumble out an apology. You’re surprised when no attack comes with it, and the energy shifts to you. Not all monsters attack on instinct, good to know. Also, the person instigating the Encounter doesn’t get to make the first move. That seems fair.

Thinking back to the fight with the Froggit, you wonder if you can recreate the moment when you got to see it’s stats. It had been an ACT, so you tap the option, then just… stare at the ghost for a moment. You consider how you want to check their stats, and the dialogue box appears as soon as you think about it.

**_Napstablook_ **

**_HP: 88_ **

**_AT: 10_ **

**_DF: 10_ **

**_This monster doesn’t seem to have a sense of humour._ **

You feel bad about Napstablook being defined by that sentence. You don’t know anything about them, but you’ve had your fair share of people criticizing you for your humour (or supposed lack thereof), and it’s never very nice.

“oh, i’m REAL funny.” You honestly can’t tell if that’s sarcasm, and Napstablook still has that morose look on their face, so that does nothing to help read their tone. You also didn’t really expect them to be able to see what you could, and you feel a little bad about checking them out so blatantly.

You also decide that you’re just going to call that move a ‘check’.

You easily side step the tears that Napstablook cries towards you on their turn, your sympathy for this ghost rising even more. ACTing again on your turn, you elect to simply smile patiently at them, silently cheering them on as best you can. You’re sure they’re doing their best, and you know how hard that is.

“uuh…….” They don’t seem to know how to reply to that. You freak out a little as large words stand out behind your SOUL.

**_Really not feelin up to it right now. Sorry._ **

Well, that was… different. You’re glad that didn’t affect you, especially since a glance down confirms that your HP is still at 1. It occurs to you that you don’t really feel anything that would indicate that your HP is low. You had actually forgotten all about it as you were wandering the RUINS. You do find yourself feeling rather hungry however, though you had thought that was simply from the passage of time. Switching things up a bit, you select ITEM, and a small box appears with a single option; although there’s also room for more things.

You still had that cookie that Toriel had gotten for you at the market.

Not entirely certain of how this is supposed to work, but knowing that you had placed the cookie in one of the pockets of your robe, you try simply putting your hand in the pocket to grab the snack.

You feel like an idiot when it works.

Of course, if it hadn’t worked you still would have felt like an idiot, just more of a confused one. It’s a pretty big cookie, so you break it in half. In just a couple bites, it’s melted on your tongue leaving only the sweet taste of chocolate. You feel more energized than before, even before that first Encounter of the day. Taking a glance at your HP, you see that it’s now at 10/5.

Damn that was a good cookie. You’re pleased you still have half, because you had been more focused on regaining that HP than the taste. Although the chocolate was still lingering on your tongue.

Napstablook’s tears are easier to avoid this time around, but when it comes back around to your turn, you feel bad that you were just eating in front of them. Briefly wondering if they even can eat, you select ACT and hold the other half of the cookie out to them.

“Um, I don’t know if you can eat, sorry if that’s rude, I don’t really know a lot about… Well, interacting with people in general really. Uh, but, well, if you can eat I’d like to share this cookie with you?” Napstablook seems stunned at the offer.

“oh……….. i can’t eat……… but that’s really nice of you to offer………. sorry…….”

“Oh, there’s nothing to apologize for! I mean, I felt bad that I was just eating in front of you anyway and-”

“oh…….. no………. it’s my fault. you couldn’t even eat in peace because of me…………” It’s almost funny how on par you two are with the self-deprecation.

“What? No! Of course it’s not your fault! I just needed to regain some HP, and I remembered I had this cookie, and I don’t know how Encounters work but I figured I’d give it a try, then it worked, so now I’m okay, but I wanted to share it with you! Except you’re a ghost so of course you can’t eat, I shouldn’t have offered… But then that would have been rude of me…” Getting trapped in moral entanglements happens so often with you, you often think you should have become a professor in moral philosophy and ethics instead of a botanist.

Napstablook doesn’t look any more relieved than you feel, but something between you shifts even as the Encounter shifts to their turn.

“hey, i want to show you something.” More tears flow from Napstablook’s wide, sad eyes, but they travel upwards this time. The tears snail into place, forming a top hat resting upon their brow. It makes you smile, and you give Napstablook a gentle applause.

“i call this dapperblook.”

“I love it!” Napstablook looks comforted for a moment, before it fades and they start wailing slightly.

“oh nooo……………” The Encounter fades out, leaving you a little shaken and very confused. That was the longest Encounter you had ever been in so far. You don’t know what you did to offend Napstablook though. “i usually come to the RUINS because there’s nobody around. but now i was in your way, and you’re so nice………… im sorry……. i’ll get out of your way now……...”

“Wha- No, Napstablook!” Your protests come too late as Napstablook’s already faded away. You rush up the stairs, hoping you’ll see them in the upper level, but it’s just an empty room with broken floors. For some reason, the sight of all the cracks spider webbing through the floor makes you feel really depressed. You thought you had been connecting with Napstablook, maybe even making a friend, but now they were gone. You sigh and remind yourself that you’re not equipped to have friends anyway, and you’d only keep letting Napstablook down. It was probably for the best that they left.

You put your walls up again, silently annoyed you ever let them down, and continue making your way through the RUINs to find that spider bake sale. New determination moves through you.

The underground was going to have to kill you before you let it make you new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh this is even longer. love it. such descriptions. once again, i did not mean to leave off on such angst. such sadness. i gave more depth to the ruins bc... i can... the market and homes are beyond that area where u find the knife in the game. just gave more civilization to the small population of the ruins.
> 
> side note that everyone is worth friendships, tell your depression to step off.
> 
> initially this chapter was going to contain a whole lot more to get the story going Even More but then i made it to 7 pages and 4000 words and just kinda thought... this is probably okay for now. i'm loading the next chapter up with content even as i post this tho. i have no work this week so theoretically that means lots of writing time.


	6. Back to the Sky on Your Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're very pleased to meet some monsters without having to first go through an Encounter.  
> You're absolutely devastated by your final Encounter in the RUINs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title from "Buebird" by Sara Bareilles. came up in my playlist as I was writing the ending of this chapter and it wrecked me a bit.
> 
> i originally posted this prematurely then went to fall asleep before remembering it wasn't yet finished! so i deleted it to finish it instead of editing ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ sorry for any confusion that may have occurred in those 15 minutes!
> 
> also disclaimer: im paralysed by spiders but reader is not and thats how we know this is OC, not self-insert ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

You pause on your way to the next room to read a sign that says “Please don’t step on the leaves.” You take a moment to consider that there are no leaves in this room, before realizing that where you had fallen was right on top of a pile of leaves. You aren’t masochistic enough to find out if the other sections of cracked floor are also placed over leaf piles, but you certainly wouldn’t be surprised. The puzzles here are incredibly weird, in your opinion. They’re not even really what you would call puzzles; most of them just seem like booby traps.

You’re pleased to find that there are no spikes blocking your path to the next room for once, although you do hesitate at the sight of the three Froggits hopping around. They pause to turn and stare at you, but the way they watch you seems different somehow from the Froggit from before. Their eyes are still wide and curious, but there’s no intent there.

You wave at them, and they wave back.

“Have you ever heard of F4? We are discussing its meaning.” One of the Froggits hop closer to you, that face nestled between its legs watching you, unblinking. You’re a little confused by the question, but you’re pleased about having a regular interaction instead of an Encounter.

“Uuh… Like on a keyboard?”

“A what?”

“What’s that?” You have to remind yourself that monster culture has been trapped underground for many years, so of course there would at least be some people that don’t know what a keyboard is. Before you get a chance to explain a keyboard and by extension a computer, one of the other Froggits is telling you their thoughts on the matter.

“I think it stands for ‘4 frogs’ but I have only ever seen 3 frogs in this room.”

“Would… Would you be opposed to a fourth?” These Froggits seem different somehow than the Froggit children you met earlier. You don’t want to be rude, but you think that they perhaps did not attend Toriel’s school.

“Hm… No. More company would be fun.”

“As long as it’s not Toriel.”

“Oh yes.”

“No Toriel.”

“We saw you with her earlier, but we did not get close.”

“No, no.” Discontent stirs within you; you don’t appreciate these Froggits being unkind about Toriel (and maybe you’re a little offended that they didn’t want to meet you earlier).

“What do you have against Toriel?” The frogs share a look, one that has you wondering if you also need to be concerned about spending time with your pseudo-mother.

“She is… intimidating.”

“Yes, she scares most of us.”

“Why?” Toriel had been nothing but kind to you. A little cryptic here and there; the comment about being the last human in the underground had definitely thrown you, but you still trust her. Although that trust was flickering now like a candle in a window.

“Many of us chose to stay in Home when others left for New Home.”

“Some of us left with the others for New Home.”

“Few of us came back with Toriel from New Home.”

“It was… A sad time.”

“Now, Toriel keeps us here.”

“Keeps us safe.” The way they cycle through who’s speaking forces you to process their words a little slower, but you really focus on that last bit.

“Wait, Toriel keeps you here? You aren’t allowed to leave?”

“It was okay at first.”

“We did not want to leave.”

“But now it has been so long.”

“So, if you do decide now, for instance, that you want to leave, would she let you?” Another look is passed between the frogs. Something about the look makes your stomach sink.

“We do not think so.” Your breath catches in your throat. What happens when you want to leave? You didn’t really plan to come down here in the first place, so it’s not like you can stay. You have no contact with your family, no job, no friends… The only person you have any connection to in the RUINs, and apparently the only person who can let you out of this purple puzzle prison, is also the person who may force you to stay.

“Okay, cool.” You aren’t sure how to feel about this. Toriel saved your life and gave you somewhere to stay. She made you laugh with her amazingly bad jokes and patiently answered your questions all while making you the most delicious pies you had ever had the pleasure of eating. Maybe she wouldn’t force you to stay here, maybe you could talk her into letting you leave - whatever that entails. Maybe the rest of the underground is dangerous, and she’s valid in keeping people in the RUINs.

All of this is just too much for you to consider at this junction. So you shake your head, shoving these new concerns to the back of your mind, and get back to your original task.

“Do any of you know where the spider bake sale is? I’ve been really interested in going there all day, but I don’t actually know where it is.”

“Through that hall, on the left.”

“Buy a spider donut.”

“Get a spider cider.” You decide that if you have enough money, you’ll get both, and share them on your way back. You thank the Froggits for their help and continue to your destination.

~~~ooo~~~

_ knock knock _

“Who’s there?”

“water.”

“Water who?”

“water you up to?” A small laugh echoed through the hallway, but Toriel could not answer. There was silence for a moment before another set of knocks.

“Who’s there?”

“butter.”

“Butter who?”

“it butter be something fun!” There was an even smaller laugh this time around. “hey, are you okay?”

“I… can you promise me something?”

“uh, i don’t really do promises.”

“Please…” Her voice was heartbroken and weary. “If a human ever passes through these doors, please promise me that you will protect them.” There was hesitation from the other side of the door before the low response rumbled through.

“heh… that’s an odd request.”

“Please.”

“yeah, ‘course i will. anything for an old friend.” With that, the air in the hallway felt warmer, more pleasing.

“You don’t know how old I am.” There was a beat, as the one on the other side of the door was obviously not expecting the reply, before both parties broke down laughing before continuing with their jokes.

~~~ooo~~~

The small room that houses the spider bake sale is… Honestly kind of exactly what you were expecting. There are two perfect webs nestled at the bottom of the wall, and you inspect both of them. Each web appears to be its own booth, of sorts. The bigger one has a sign for Spider Cider, at 15G. Taking out a small felt pouch, you count the money you have left from Toriel. Fishing out half of it, you place 15G next to the web. A spider crawls down from the ceiling, offering you a travel mug containing what you assumer is spider cider.

Taking a sip, you’re pleased to find that it’s a drinkable temperature and tastes like apple cider, with an extra flavour you can’t place. It’s also a little bit sticky and clings to your teeth, like drinking watered down peanut butter. You decide not to dwell on that.

Next to the other web, you place 7G and receive a spider donut. You decide to hold onto this for later, and pocket it with your cookie. The spiders that had been helping you thus far were about the same size as your average house spider, but one more akin to a tarantula crawls up to you, tugging the hem of your robe.

“Oh, hello! The spider cider is very nice.”

“Thank you!” It sends a jolt through your heart to hear a spider talk back to you. You had expected it, but it still made you a bit uncomfortable. The tarantula passes you a flyer. “This bakesale was organized to help us get out of the RUINS and back home. Thank you for your patronage thus far! Please tell all your friends and family about us; we’ll take donations of any size.” Your heart just about breaks for these spiders. There’s a small crowd of them around the webs, watching your interaction.

“You’re trapped in the RUINS?”

“The only door out is sealed, and there is not enough room to get through the cracks. Not for all of us at least.” Around the clickiness of the spider’s voice, you can hear that familiar swell in its voice; the sound of someone about to cry.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Have you tried talking to Toriel about this?” Seeing a spider shake its head sadly is a bit strange, but no less heartbreaking than the crack in its voice.

“She is concerned that opening the doors for us will mean opening the doors for other monsters to leave. The donations will go towards building up an armada and forcing the doors open!” You almost burst out laughing at the declaration and mental image of a bunch of tiny spiders throwing themselves haphazardly at a large stone door.

“Alright, well, I’ve still got another 8G. Can I get another spider donut? And you can just have the change. I know it isn’t much but it’s all I’ve got right now.” There’s a small cheer from the spiders as you exchange your G for another donut, and the tarantula thanks you profusely.

“You’ve shown that you are a true friend of spiders. Please come by any time! Especially if it’s with more G.” You give a small chuckle at that, pocketing the second donut.

“Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you today!” You wave goodbye to the spiders and start heading back to Toriel’s house. You’re starting to feel the day wear on you, and decide it’s gotta be bedtime. You check your phone (which you constantly forget about having now that there’s no internet and only one person you can text) to find out that it’s 7pm already. Not excessively late, but you haven’t really eaten anything apart from half a cookie and you’ve been in Encounters all day.

Also there’s a few texts from Toriel asking where you are and when you’ll be back.

With a smile slipping onto your face, you text her back, letting her know only about the spider bake sale, concerned about how she would react to knowing you were in Encounters without her. Not to mention all the things the Froggits and spiders had said about her. She replies with a couple smiley face emojis and a picture of a veggie pot pie for dinner.

You really like pie, and love that Toriel has decided that pies are acceptable for all meals.

A pang moves through your heart as thinking about Toriel leaves you remembering all the red flags raised by the Froggits and spiders. You briefly register the absence of the three froggits on your way back through the RUINs, mindlessly making your way through the traps and resetting them behind you. Considering whether or not you could still trust Toriel was weighing heavily on you.

On one hand, you really did look up to her as a mother figure.

On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the first time you had ruined a relationship with a mother.

With a stronger pang moving through your heart, you shudder. You really do miss your mom. Maybe it was time to call her again? It’s almost been three years after all...

You press a hand to your forehead, trying to force the unbidden memories to leave you alone. There were new problems to focus on. Of course you would go back to Toriel’s tonight; it wasn’t like you could do much else. The question was whether or not you would ask Toriel about all your new concerns. It was slightly ridiculous, since you had already been prepping to broach the topic of leaving the RUINs with her anyway. This kind of just felt like the universe was giving you a little nudge to get a move on.

Who were you to deny the universe?

It didn’t feel like very long until you were standing before the black tree in Toriel’s yard, zoned out as you were. Now though you had to consider how you would bring up what was sure to be such a delicate conversation.

‘Hey Toriel, thanks for all the hospitality you offered with zero expectations! I’m just gonna dip now, bye.’ You can’t help but scoff at the mental image (you dabbing and Toriel’s small face of surprise) and you roll your eyes at yourself. You decide to just go where the moment takes you. Maybe it would be easier than you expect. After all, what had Toriel ever really done to make you think she would be unreasonable? All you have to go on is the word of three Froggits and a group of (seemingly imprisoned) spiders. Hardly damnable evidence.

Right?

Unsurprisingly, overthinking this was helping nothing. Sighing, you enter the home you’d been staying at, inhaling deeply, letting your sense of self melt away as the delicious smell of pie consumed you.

“Ah, there you are! I was beginning to grow worried!” You waft back into yourself as you look up at the motherly monster. In the future, you would claim that your only regret was to not wait until you got a slice of pie before speaking.

“I want to go home.” You can see how Toriel flinches; shoulders shuddering, eyes widening, smile freezing even as the edges became downturned. Her voice was soft in reply.

“You… You are home.”

“Toriel, I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I’ve tried not to take it for granted; helping with the cleaning and the cooking, but… I need to go home. I… I haven’t been great to my parents and I need to try to fix that. But I can’t do that stuck down here.” The smile kept shrinking the more you spoke, until Toriel was outright frowning, eyes downcast. It broke your heart to know that you were causing her such pain.

“I understand.” Her voice was smaller than you had ever heard it. “Follow me.” She led you downstairs, an area of the house you had mostly ignored, foolishly assuming it simply held a cold cellar or other storage. Instead, it was even more long purple corridors that almost had you groaning. Purple had never really been your favourite colour, and at this point you were really starting to hate it.

At the end of the hallway, Toriel stopped in front of a door. You can’t say how surprised you are at the sight of the large door adorned with the Delta Rune. It wasn’t a whole lot of surprise.

“This door will lead you out into the rest of the underground. I must warn you though. Not all monsters will be as friendly towards humans as those in the RUINs. They… Asgore… will kill you.” Every inch of you freezes. “I have seen it happen, again and again. I had hoped… That if I could save even one… But it's always the same. They come, they leave, they die. I will let you out of the RUINs, but only under one condition.” You recognize the look on her face as she turns back to you. It was a look of pure apathy. In this moment Toriel looks far older, and far more tired than one could think possible. Your SOUL is cleaved once more from your body as your surroundings go dark and Toriel blocks your way.

"You must win in a fight against me. Prove you're strong enough to survive." Your heart aches, unable to see any other way out of this situation. You know you can't (won't) fight her, and even if you did there's no way you could win. You could never intentionally hurt her.

Having been pulled into this Encounter, you know that it's your turn (and very distantly you consider how cool magic is). It's an easy decision. You haven't lifted a hand against anyone so far, and you certainly have no intentions of starting now. You SPARE Toriel, and make the mistake of relaxing, certain she would never hurt you.

With a sweep of her hand she sends white fireballs at you, and you don't react in time to dodge them. Luckily you only get hit by one, the rest of them disappearing as quickly as they had appeared, but it still burns. Your SOUL flickers, even as your options appear in front of you again. You try ACTing on this turn, pleading with Toriel for her to stop.

"Please, I just… I just want to go home." Something flickers in Toriel's eyes, an emotion you don't quite recognize, but it doesn't linger long enough for you to identify it. She remains steadfast, sending a stream of fireballs towards you. It doesn't seem like talking will do anything for you.

You can't help but recognize that her way of attacking is similar to the other monsters you had Encountered. Instead of just aiming for their target, it seems more like monsters send out attacks with a broad reach in mind; some attacks headed straight for you, others veered off to the sides. It forced people to be more on their toes about dodging and being aware of their surroundings. In a circumstance that wasn't life threatening you might have appreciated that fact, but you really weren't keen on it now. You fail to wholly dodge Toriel's attack, though you quickly realize something else.

Her attacks hurt far less than the Froggits did, and disappeared as soon as even one connected with you. A quick glance at your HP confirmed that it had only reduced by two ( **HP: 3/5** ) but still you waver, hand hovering above MERCY.

What if she actually doesn't let you pass, no matter how much you try sparing her? What if you have to FIGHT her to progress? Staring at the one option you had yet to even touch, something settles within you. Stupid. If Toriel doesn't want you to pass, she'll have to kill you; because there's no way you would hurt her like that. You SPARE her again, then close your eyes flinchingly in anticipation of more pain. You feel the heat of the magic pass you by, but nothing connects. You look up, and realize that Toriel isn't even looking at you. You repeat your move, and watch as Toriel hesitates for her move. You're not even thinking as you gently repeat your actions.

"What are you doing?" You have no words.

(SPARE)

"If you want to leave, you'll have to FIGHT." Shaking your head is all you can manage.

(SPARE)

"They will not show you mercy." That doesn't worry you.

(SPARE)

"If you cannot fight even me, how will you survive them? How will you face him?" Tears are falling from two sets of eyes.

(SPARE)

"But if you stay here, I can keep you safe. You'll have a home." She smiles at you hopefully. You can't return it; it fades

(SPARE)

"No, you would not be happy here. The RUINs are small; it would not be right of me to ask you to stay."

(SPARE)

A moment of silence passes between you as she hangs her head, and the shift back to your turn feels different this time. Your option is now highlighted yellow.

(SPARE)

The purple door and hallway fade back into view, and you release the breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding. Toriel sighs shakily, but doesn't look at you. A small, rueful chuckle swiftly follows her shaky breath.

"It is rather pathetic, is it not? I cannot even protect one small human child."

"Oh…" You step forward, uncertain of how to comfort her.

"Perhaps this is just because you were not truly mine to protect. Please, once you leave the RUINs… Do not come back." Your face contorts, more tears spilling over your cheeks. She steps forward, wrapping you in an embrace that shrouds you in warmth and smells like butterscotch and cinnamon. You cling to her, and almost go back on your resolve.

Almost.

She releases you, running a hand over your head, and walks away. You can hear the shuffling of her feet moving over the stone stop, but biting your lip you refuse to turn. Her footsteps recede into the tunnel and you stay still where you stand until the last of the echoes fade away. More reactionary than anything, you push your way forward.

As the doors close behind you, you collapse against them with stuttered breathing. You feel that you've been crying far too much recently; especially the amount you had been doing in front of others. You climbed this god forsaken mountain to get away from the crying, not add more reasons for tears. You rub your eyes before heading down the hallway in front of you, refusing to break down. The purple hall fades in colour the further you get, going from the rich plum you had grown used to, to a soft lavender by the time you reach the doorway at the other end.

The room beyond is mostly dark, except for a bright spot of land in the centre, with a small mound of grass. At the other end is an archway similar to the one you walked through to enter the ruins at the start of this journey.

Considering the room as you start walking through, you realize that this room is an exact copy - or at least very similar - to that room where you met Toriel, right down to that centre light and mound of grass.

A single difference presents itself as you freeze and stare at the small hill you're just inches from.

A small golden flower has emerged from the ground and is smiling up at you.

“Howdy!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, at least reader isnt friendless in this ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
> 
> hnnnnng this was rough for me tho. i wish i had given toriel and reader more bonding time, but i guess i got a little anxious to throw them into it?? ah hah hah....... im also one of those fools who didnt quite understand the game mechanics when first i played and killed toriel (i cried and couldnt play for a week) so i wanted to touch on that a bit
> 
> with every long chapter i write my power grows.... please feed that power with kudos and comments ♡ and if i dont reply or if i take 5ever pls dont be too offended, its just me; just ask my girlfriends, theyll tell u


	7. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say every rose has its thorns, but no one was expecting the roses to bite.

You were semi-used to the sight of a variety of monsters, even the carrot-looking Vegetoids, but you were not expecting a cognizant flower.

“I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!” He winks and sticks his tongue out, and your hesitation begins to ebb away. He seems friendly enough, and his little face in the centre of his golden petals is pretty cute; like an emoji.

“Hi!” You greet him as cheerfully as you can muster in return, introducing yourself as well.

“You're a human, right? Just got out of the ruins?” You nod hesitantly. How were you supposed to make it through the Underground if everyone could tell that you're human? Maybe you should get a disguise.

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” You blink, refocusing your attention on Flowey.

“Oh, I'm so sorry, I just sort of zoned out. What did you you say?” Flowey gives you a weird look, before switching back to his sweet smile.

“Heehee, no worries! I was just talking about Encounters.”

“Oh, Toriel's already explained them to me.” You see his smile droop and his eye-twitch, and when he readjusts, the smile is a little more strained, and his voice has dropped an octave.

“But did she explain all about your HP and EXP?” Your anxiety is re-emerging, and you're a lot less willing to trust this little flower now than you were a moment ago.

“Well, no, but-”

“Then I guess lil ol’ me will have to do it!” He's cut you off and pulled you into an Encounter quicker than you can react.

“So, you've got your SOUL there - do you know about SOULs?” You can only nod in response. “Great! Your options are below that, of course, and right in between is your HP, EXP, and LV!” You take advantage of the lull in his explanation to cut him off without really interrupting him.

“I am aware of them. Health Points, Experience, and Level, right?” You don't like the look he gives you at that, or the tone of his response.

“Where'd you get that idio- uh… No, that's not what they mean.” You are now extremely certain that you can't trust this flower. Running away isn't much of an option, but you don't want to fight him either.

“The most important one is your LV; it stands for LOVE!” You don't think that's right, but you don't know enough to argue. “Down here, you can collect LOVE through friendless pellets!” Your heart sinks as he summons a little white pellet that you could instantly identify as his attack. You dodge it on instinct, almost laughing at the annoyed look he gives you. Your head is reeling at the turn of events; like, he really just thought that you wouldn't recognize an attack?

“That looked more like an attack than you sharing LOVE.” The hysteria that was racing through you ebbs away as fear makes it's way in as Flowey's face twists into a fanged smile.

“So, you already know about attacks too. In that case, I don't need to take it easy on you.”

“But, it's my turn now, so-”

“Turn? What kind of game do you think we're playing here? In this world, it's either KILL or BE KILLED.” Flowey’s maniacal laughter sounds like something straight out of a nightmare, and you freeze, terrified, as he summons more pellets and launches them at you. You throw your arms in front of you reflexively, human fight experience taking precedence, before remembering that it's your SOUL you need to worry about. You react fast, reaching out to grab the green heart, the pellets just inches away. Your fingers have barely brushed its green surface, when a bright flash of white light fills the area.

“I’m so tired of this!” A sob resonated through the room. Your vision is pure white, but you still try to look around, thinking to yourself, ‘ _ I know that voice…’ _

“Just… come on, where are your meds?”

_ ‘Is that… me?’ _

“It doesn’t matter.”

_ ‘Wait… I know this conversation…’ _

“Of course it matters! You matter! You’ll be okay, you just need-”

“'You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay, things will get better'; bullshit!” The shrill voice of your late best friend rings through your ears. This was the last conversation you had ever had with them, and not one you were keen to remember, much less relive.

“Please-”

“Stop, just stop, just… I’m sorry, but I just can’t keep this up. I’ve been waiting for years and nothing has gotten better.”

“I thought you were doing okay?”

“I was! And then I relapsed and stopped taking the meds and the hormones, it was all pointless BULLSHIT!”

“Why didn’t you… No, it’s… Look just tell me where your meds are, I promise I can help you through this.” The high-pitched, short burst of sarcastic laughter that fills the room makes your blood freeze.

“They’re gone, I took them.” There’s a pause before your past voice fills the room.

“What… Gone? What do you-”

“I took them! All of them! At once, okay?”

“Uh… um… Okay, that’s okay, look, I’m just gonna call-”

“No!” You flinch at the crash of your old phone. “I don’t want your help! Just get out! I never should have even given you a key.” The tears started flowing from your eyes before you even feel the sting.

“Hey…” Your voice was soft, barely audible over the hiccoughing sobs of your best friend.

“I’m… You weren’t... supposed to... come over today.”

“I know how difficult today is for you, I came over straight after work.”

“It’s still… It’s still too late… I’m…”

“No, no, you’re gonna be okay, it’ll be okay, I can just use your phone.”

“Can’t. I… I broke my phone. So I couldn’t… To make sure I couldn’t… Wouldn’t… Worry you.. Couldn’t bother you.”

“Caring for you isn't a bother. You could never...” You were really crying now, both present and past. Even though you couldn’t see the scene, you knew exactly what was happening; how you were holding your dying friend, unable to help them. How they had really made sure that they couldn’t be helped. How utterly helpless you felt, screaming for help that never came as your best friend passed out and ultimately died in your arms.

“I’m so.. Please… I don’t… I’m sorry…” You ram the heels of your hands into your ears, trying to block out the rest of the conversation. It’s been over 2 years. You still had nightmares about this, but you had been getting better. This… This literal flashback was going to ruin all the progress you had made.

The progress you had made forgetting your best friend.

You feel like garbage.

You feel like dying.

Again.

You’re crying so hard you don’t even notice the white light disappear, the darkness of the Underground - except that one patch of light on Flowey the Flower - seeping back into reality. You don’t see Flowey staring at you with an indescribable look on his face.

“Uh…” You sniffle, not even caring how gross you must look, rubbing your eyes with one sleeve, and rubbing your nose with the other. Seeing the purple robe from Toriel has you struggling through another heaving sob. “You look… really pathetic right now. Not even worth killing.” You look around and realize that the Encounter is over, and that’s all the motivation you need to get up from where you had collapsed. You wouldn't have been surprised if he killed you while your back was to him, but you also wouldn't care. You just don't want to be sobbing in front of him.

You're almost at the doors beyond the small golden flower when he calls after you.

“Look. I’m not exactly… good… with emotions. I don’t have a SOUL with which to feel them, y’know?” Gods you wish you did know. “I just wanted to say though, if that was what it sounded like… I do remember what  _ that _ feels like. My… Well, someone really important to me, they…” You look back at Flowey and take pity on him. For someone who supposedly doesn’t have a SOUL, he’s managing a lot of emotion on his little face.

“It’s not an easy thing to go through.”

“No, it’s not. Although, I was killed right after them, so I guess I one up you there.” You look at him incredulously.

“I wasn’t aware we were trying to one up each other with trauma stories,” he gives a little shrug with his leaves, “you were killed though?”

“I wasn’t always a flower. I used to be a proper monster; with a SOUL and everything. But… then… everything happened. And I got murdered.” You stare at each other for a few seconds, his stare almost challenging.

“Wow... I’m so sorry. That's horrible.” He looks suspicious at your words, as if he can’t decide whether or not he can trust you. As if no one would actually care about him. If you're honest, you mostly don't; he did just try to kill you. But you know what it's like to lose someone, and you aren't that surprised at how he turned out.

It seems that he decides he can trust you, since he continues the conversation, sharing more of his life.

“Yeah well, I don’t remember much after that, obviously. I just woke up one day, sometime later, in some dark, creepy lab, and I was a flower. Ironic, really. The flower that I am was the favourite flower of my best friend. Same flower that they killed themself with.”

“That’s… kind of sweet.” You rush to explain yourself at the doubt in Flowey’s eyes. “I mean, you being… reincarnated or whatever as their favourite flower. Not… the rest of the story.”

“Heh. I guess so. I never really looked at it like that before.”

“It’s easy to forget the positive aspects of life and just focus on the negative. I bet it's even easier without a SOUL; no more… stupid feelings getting in the way.” You stare at the ground, clenching your fists. You'd spent the better part of three years flipping between extremely angry and extremely sad, leaving you extremely exhausted. You don't see Flowey’s expression turn soft as he considers your words, mulling over the thoughts working through his system.

"I miss them sometimes. Feelings. I've travelled the underground a lot, and it's the one thing that keeps me fascinated. I remember what it was like to feel; to care about others, to be cared for. Sometimes I wish I could go back to having a SOUL; sometimes I wish I was still dead." When you look back up at Flowey, he's not looking at you.

"Having emotions, I mostly just wish I was dead." You stare at each other for a long moment, pity for the other clear on both your faces, a mutual understanding passing between you. Flowey recovers first, shaking and pulling up an angry expression.

"Well, if you continue out into the Undergound, you'll probably have that wish granted. Asgore wants to kill all humans, and your SOUL will unlock the barrier, letting him out into the overworld." This shakes you a little bit. You know about the barrier, of course. That was a basic part of the known history with monsters; after humans won the war, they had their strongest mages create a barrier to keep monsters trapped undergound. You'd never had a chance to learn much more than that, even with all the history books at Toriel's house. She always managed to find a way to distract you from them.

"What do you mean?" If Flowey was feeling cooperative, maybe you could finally learn something. The look he shoots at you is very judgemental, as if he expected you to know the story already, but it melts into something else.

"I'm not surprised she didn't tell you anything. Well, monster SOULs shatter upon our death," you nod, having read about that already.

"Human SOULs persist though."

"Exactly; and some monsters have the power to take a human SOUL and make themselves more powerful. It's why humans started the war in the first place; fear that monsters would rise up and start stealing SOULs. A ridiculous notion since monsters are largely pacifists." You almost tease him - ask what went wrong with him - but you think better about it. You figure he must've seen the hesitation since his eyes narrow as if daring you to say it. A moment passes and you wisely remain silent, putting on an innocent face until he resumed the tale.

"The barrier was created with the power of seven human mages, so it will take seven human SOULs to break it. Your SOUL would serve as the seventh. Alternatively, if you can get past everyone, you'll be able to just leave. A human can pass the barrier. Probably made that way just in case someone ended up on the wrong side, like you." Now you're really shaking. With your SOUL, monsters could be free again?

"So… Asgore, whoever he is, has just been collecting human SOULs in order to free monsters?"

"Yep." A plan begins formulating in your mind even as you see a wicked glint in Flowey's eyes. "Hey, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you could save yourself some trouble; give me your SOUL. I can get it to Asgore for you."

"Yeah, somehow I don't trust you with that. I can't even imagine how terrifying you would be with all seven SOULs." His face morphs back into the fanged smile as he cackles; a high pitched, oddly throaty sound.

"Probably something straight out of your nightmares." You don't know what posesses you to react the way you do, but you reach down and bop Flowey on the head. His noise of surprise sounds like a baby panda grunting and you almost laugh at him.

"You need to chill out. Just because you're soulless doesn't mean you need to be a dick about it." His pikachu look of surprise quickly droops into a scowl as he turns to side-eye you.

“Whatever. This is stupid. You should just go. Good luck getting home, try not to get murdered on the way. Or do, since that's what you want.”

“Thanks Flowey.”

“I was being sarcastic. I don't care what happens to you.”

“Yeah, I figured, but still. Thanks." You try to smile at him, but you can feel it fall a little flat. Tears are still swimming in your eyes and your ears are still ringing from the screaming, even though your waves of emotion have stilled.

His mouth twitches and you wonder if he was just about to smile at you. Despite all his claims to not care, to lack emotions, you can see something akin to kindness in his eyes. You wave, a little awkwardly perhaps, and push the big purple doors open.

“I hope you do make it out alive.” His voice is barely audible as you walk out the doors. You turn to clarify what he said, but he's already disappearing back into the ground and the doors are closing. As the final doors of the Ruins slam shut behind you and you’re left on your own in a snowy forest, your heart contorts. You wouldn’t consider him a friend, but Flowey was the most real connection that you had made in years, even if it was only for a few minutes. You burst into tears and collapse to the ground, curling in on yourself.

Flowey was right. There’s no way you’re going to kill anyone, so you’ll probably just be killed. You’ll never get home, you’ll never see your family again, and you’ll never be able to tell them how sorry you are for leaving them the way you did.

Wishing for death and actually facing it caused two very different emotional responses.

You cry harder, stuffing your tunic sleeves into your mouth to muffle your sobs; sniffles echo through the trees. Part of you doesn’t care; part of you just wants to die here on the cold, snowy ground.

The scientist part of you wants to thoroughly investigate the fact that there’s snow this deep within a cave.

You can't hear the footsteps crunching through the snow towards you over your sobbing.

“hey.” You start, a hiccough spasming through your chest. Looking round wildly, you see a figure hovering near you, but keeping a respectable distance. Embarrassed at the fact that you were crying in front of a 3rd person in just a few days, you rub furiously at your eyes and stand up. Facing the person who had just spoken, you stumble back a step, your jaw going slack. You don't know what kind of monster you had expected to face; foolishly you had privately thought you were ready for anything.

Whatever you had expected, it sure as fuck hadn't been a skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeyyyyy.......  
> my life is kind of a hot mess right now so i have no idea how frequent the updates will be. my work schedule finally slowed down a touch so i'm hoping to get on a frequent writing schedule but i know i'm too scatterbrained and chronically tired for that so... hang in there?  
> anyway. i didn't really intend for Reader to have much of a backstory, but this is one of the earliest chapters I wrote and it just kind of happened; flowey is a fave and i just really like this chap. of course when i went back to edit i spent two weeks hating it until i finally reached an okay point.  
> so yeah! i wanna do better for y'all! thanks for commenting! <3


	8. No One Ever Mentions Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... Probably because there's not a whole lot to fear. Certainly not these dorky skeletons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title from Anastasia!

Your sobs die away immediately, although your breathing is still slightly hitched.

You think you'll blame it on the fear.

Although considering the skeleton is wearing an oversized blue hoody and fluffy pink slippers, there's a small part of you wondering what there is to be afraid of. Staring into the black sockets of his eyes is another story, though the little dot of light in each eye is fascinating.

“i'd ask if you're okay, but you're not crying anymore, so you probably are, right?” His logic is extremely flawed, but you are grateful he doesn't press about your issues. You don't really feel like spilling all your feelings so soon after the intense heart-to-heart with Flowey (a gentle 'bud-dum-tss' rings through your ears).

“Sure…” Looking a little more intently, you realize this monster resembles a human skeleton but there are some key differences. Like how his mandible doesn't move when he talks, and the fact that he can talk at all despite, presumably, not having a tongue or vocal chords or anything else most humans use for speech.

“good. this would be super awkward otherwise, right?” He offers a lazy wink (which is just fascinating because that's literally bone) and you can't help the small smile that quirks your lips. “my name's sans;” he holds up a hand, “sans the skeleton.” You hesitate to greet him in kind, the warnings of Toriel and Flowey ringing through your ears.

“I… Sorry, I just… was warned that, um, a lot of monsters would want to kill me?” Sans blinks at you (you're seriously obsessed with just how pliable his bones are) and his permanent smile somehow turns a little softer.

“heh, ‘cus you're human? i wouldn't worry about it too much. not a lot of monsters will even recognize you as one.”

“What about the ones that do?” There's a strained moment of silence as you consider each other. As you consider that he knows you're human.

“i could always keep an eyesocket out for ya.”

“I don't even know you, I'm not about to trust you with my life; no offense.” 

“none taken. it's a good argument.” Something lights up in your brain and you pause for a moment, tilting your head slightly.

"Wait, did you say 'eyesocket'?" This seems to cause Sans some surprise, but he shrugs in response; the shrug of a man who knows exactly what he said and feels no remorse about.

You don't think he should.

You think it was hilarious.

"'Cause you're a skeleton, and you don't have eyes!" You're laughing a little harder than you probably should be, but you've had a rough week and this was a very welcome moment of levity.

Toriel hadn't bombarded you with bad puns and jokes; you think she had been trying to respect your space for the most part. You had seen the joke books she owns though, and can't help but wonder how she would get along with this Sans character.

You laugh harder, falling over as you remember that sans is also a font type.

You think you're crying again amidst the howling.

"uuuuuh…" Sans' voice manages to break through your breakdown. You sit up, choking and rubbing your eyes.

"Sorry, I've just… I've had a super crazy week." Your laughter has subsided into giggles and you're too exhausted to be mortified about another psychotic break you just had in front of another stranger. You simply start piling the snow, just to give your hands something to do as you bite back the urge to spill your life story.

Again.

Sans watches you for a moment before lowering to sit in the snow across from you. Wordlessly he adds snow to the pile.

It's a weird comfortable sort of silence you share, piling snow for no discernable reason into no discernable shapes. He doesn't ask any questions and you offer no information. When the cold bites into your hands and your teeth start chattering, he hands his gloves over. You hesitate to take them, until he chuckles.

"I don't need them. I'm all bones, the cold goes right through me." He gives you another one of those lazy winks, and you giggle as you catch the joke this time. You feel a lot calmer, your thoughts having stilled, and you finally speak again as you pull on the borrowed gloves.

"How is it cold in here anyway? I mean, this is a cavern, right? There shouldn't be this much snow let alone such low temperatures, or green plants; and how is there such a strong source of light? I thought maybe it was just bioluminescent-" You stop, realizing that Sans probably doesn't have the answer to any of these questions. He's also staring at you with wide eyes (eyesockets? there's a whole new world of terminology and semantics here); somehow you can tell that if he had eyebrows, they would be raised right now.

Then his face relaxes. The smile never changes, but the way his eyesockets shift and the lights in his eyes seem to soften and sharpen give you an inkling into the emotions he may be feeling. He lets out another low chuckle and you catch yourself wondering if you would be able to feel his chest rumbling.

"probably magic." This is an answer you feel like you'll receive a lot, and it does not satisfy you. You submit for now though, sighing and offering a defeated smile, leaning back on your hands.

"Yeah, I kind of figured. I just wish I knew more about how it worked. Is it an energy like heat, or is it more like a force like gravity?"

"oh, it's definitely the Force." It takes your brain a second to catch up and you laugh when it does. You're a bit surprised he knows about Star Wars though  "so, are you a scientist or something? these are all some pretty big questions you got."

"I-" You begin to speak when another voices cuts through the woods.

Quite loudly.

"SANS? WHERE ARE YOU?" The skeleton in front of you snaps to attention, his features creasing in surprise and perhaps worry?

"oh dang. hey don't freak out but i'm actually supposed to be on the lookout for humans." Your blood freezes colder than the snow could have made it.

"Wha-"

"naw don't worry about it. i said i'd keep an eyesocket out for you right?" Another one of those winks, and your blood starts thawing. "besides, that's just my bro. he's harmless, really. but, uh, maybe you should wait here a moment?" He doesn't really give you a chance to answer before he's up and darting away.

You sit for a moment, confused and anxious, and look around, wondering if maybe you should find a place to hide (briefly you wonder about the glint in the bushes). Eventually, a feeling settles over you and you find yourself rising to your feet and edging in the direction Sans ran off in.

There's a bridge with a poorly planned gate running through the middle, and you easily slip through the gap. Keeping to the tree line, you watch as Sans interacts with the monster that can only be his brother.

Another skeleton, of course.

The brother is built quite differently from his shorter counterpart though, and you might have questioned their relation at all if Sans hadn't already mentioned it.

You don't know how common skeleton monsters are after all.

Where Sans was short and round, wearing clothes that at least created the illusion of a husky body underneath (and you were wondering since he is presumably only bones?) his brother was tall and fairly angular.

You almost choke as you take in what he's wearing.

What appears to be a white chest plate – almost like football padding – blue briefs, and knee-high orange boots barely covers the majority of his skeletal form. You can see orange gloves on his hands as well, but the best part of his outfit is the orange cape, fluttering in a breeze that only it could feel. One could only assume that he used magic to make it do that. You think that maybe Sans is right about magic being like the Force.

Then you tune in to what they're saying.

"I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!" The reasonable part of your brain dictates that this statement should scare you, but you can't bring yourself to be afraid of this giant dweeb.

You wonder if their parents also share names with a font type, or if they had simply decided to do it for their kids.

Papyrus' voice is much higher pitched than Sans' deep baritone, and kind of... goofy sounding? The more you listen to it, the more you can feel your anxiety washing away. You can't imagine the owner of this voice being someone you could truly fear. Maybe he was a very impressive fighter and you could absolutely respect him, but fear doesn't seem like an option just listening to him.

You were extremely concerned when Sans mentioned that he was on the lookout for humans and his brother was there. After all, for all you knew, he could be strong and powerful, but you can tell now that he isn't ruthless, even if he is strong and powerful as you suspect he may be.

"RESPECT... RECOGNITION… PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO BE, MY, FRIEND?" His tone has turned hesitant and unsure, and you feel a surge of protection. He's positively adorable. And the fact that he's casually speaking this openly to his brother? You feel a bit bad about eavesdropping, but rudely not enough to stop.

He was just such a huge, adorable dork.

A huge, adorable dork that was stamping his foot in the snow. Next to Papyrus' yelling, you had barely registered that Sans had said anything; you certainly couldn't actually make out what it was.

"YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AROUND AND BOONDOGGLE!" You giggle softly.

"More like 'bone'-doggle..." Your eyes go wide as you realize your mistake, quickly ducking behind a tree as a hush falls over the clearing.

"... WHAT WAS THAT?" You hear an odd sound following Papyrus' question, and wonder if Sans is about to tell his brother about you.

"don't worry, bro. that was just my phone. besides, i've actually gotten a ton of work done today. a skele-ton." You can practically hear the rimshot. You definitely hear Papyrus let out the groaned sigh of a man – rather, monster – who feels they have suffered through far too many bad jokes and terrible puns.

"SANS!!!"

"come on, you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" These brothers are adorable and you can't stop smiling. Papyrus lets out another sigh, this one more sincere than a long suffering one. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS AMAZING AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION?"

"wow, sounds like you're really working yourself..." You know exactly where he's going with this and you are loving it. "down to the bone." Another rimshot, another groan.

"I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOUR WORK? PERHAPS YOU SHOULD PUT A LITTLE MORE... BACKBONE! INTO IT!" You desperately want to laugh. "NYEHEHEHEHEHE!" You can hear Papyrus walking away as he laughs (and what an adorable laugh it is). He returns for a second, to give a final 'HEH!' then plods away through the snow covered roads.

You hesitate to get closer despite his disappearance, but there's no point hiding once Sans speaks up.

"told ya he's harmless."

Peeking around the tree, you see that Sans isn't even facing you. He seems to be inspecting his fingers, much in the same manner as a human would do with their nails. One can only assume however that a skeleton monster doesn't even have nails. You take a moment to be kind of creepy and take a closer look at him.

For science.

He looks about your height, maybe even a couple inches taller. His skull is pretty round, closer to a human skull than Papyrus' long, angular skull. His less flashy way of dressing doesn't give you much insight into what his bone structure is like. Papyrus' bone structure was fairly reminiscent of a humans, though it would be hard to say just how similar they were without a closer look. You find it slightly frustrating that you can't see more of Sans' structure, especially considering the round form his clothes give him.

You'd think that such baggy looking clothes would drape weirdly on someone with no real body to fill the fabric. Maybe he has a special tailor. Maybe it's magic. (Maybe it's Maybelline.)

What an interesting guy nonetheless. Sans looks back at you, and his face structure seems to change. You're fascinated. His skull looks like solid bone, but it's so pliable! Probably more magic at work. The bone just above his eye sockets seem to function as eye brows, as he curves one up slightly.

"do you have somewhere to be?" You blink in surprise, stammering a touch. His tone didn't reveal much to insinuate if he was genuinely curious, or just rude. Although you were staring at him pretty openly. Either way the answer was no, where even was there to go? You're starting to feel a little uncomfortable, the two of you just staring at each other, and you end up blurting out the first thing that comes to mind in a desperate attempt to seem less awkward.

"How do you speak?"

Yeah, that wasn't awkward at all. You clap a hand to your mouth and want to cower behind the trees again.

He seems a little thrown by this question, and turns to face you properly, hands in the pockets of his zip up hoodie. Your face flushes, and a beat passes before either of you manage to say anything.

"I'm so sor-" You begin at the same time he shrugs.

"magic." You inhale sharply, pause, and release it again.

"Right, of course…" Really, you should've known. Shouldn't have even asked such a rude question. You could have at least approached it better.

"it's a bit different," Sans interrupts your mental line of self-admonishment, "you being so interested in monsters." That's a bit of an odd statement.

"Sorry?" Something flickers in his eyes, and you feel the hesitation in the air.

"Uh, just that most humans we've encountered coming through here didn't have questions like you do." It doesn't surprise you to know that others wouldn't question the existence of snow in the caves or the biology of monsters or how the fuck magic works honestly that's going to drive you nuts.

The question that's pushed its way to the forefront of your mind however is a little more straightforward.

"I've heard that there have been other humans... what were they like? And, can I ask what happened to them?" Your voice is soft and you're afraid of what the answer could be. Sans looks at you for a long moment, his expression turning into something akin to exhaustion, before shrugging and settling back into the passive grin. 

"tell ya what: do me a favour, and i'll answer some questions you have. i get the feeling you have a lot." You hesitate. A favour? What kind of favour? You already know you're probably not going to say no though. You rarely do; it really depends on what people want.

"Well, what's the favour?"

"my bro's been a little down lately. he's never seen a human before, despite all the time he's put in to hunting them. seeing you might just make his day. would you mind playing along?" He must see the hesitance flit across your face, since he rushes on. "don't worry. he's not dangerous, even though he tries to be." You smile at that. Just like you thought, it turns out Papyrus is a sweetheart.

"That… actually sounds fun." Honestly you can't imagine anything better you could be doing with your time. This was an entirely new realm of social anxiety (literally) since you were bound to face culture shock and didn't want to offend anyone, but getting to know Papyrus felt like it would be totally worth it. Some tension seems to release from Sans as his shoulders drop slightly and you can see him take a more relaxed stance (how he managed to look even more relaxed you're not sure you'll ever know).

"thanks. by the way, that was a good one." You're confused once again.

"One? One what?"

"pun.  _ bone _ -doggle. i'll have to remember it." He winks at you (you're seriously obsessed with how pliable his face actually is and briefly wonder if it feels squishy at all). "i'll see you up ahead." He turns and walks away; in the opposite direction of his brother. You start to call after him but you blink and he's... gone. Literally vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my god, he can teleport?" The amazed whisper slips out and you glance around, as if there would be another human-hunting monster waiting around to steal your SOUL. It wasn't impossible, after all. When did your life get so weird? Probably when you “fell” down that hole on Mt. Ebott. All around you though is just the impossible snowy forest and a path with only two directions.

Back, to a door that will not receive you, or forward to a fate you can't even guess.

You take a deep breath and can't help humming gently under your breath.

"Heart don't fail me now." You hesitate down the path, but your courage does not desert you. It's too late to turn back now. You may not be heading down a path to discover who you used to be, but you have a feeling that this path would help you realize who you truly are.

It doesn't occur to you yet that despite it all you're having a pretty good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yea ok sometimes i borrow the og dialogue...
> 
> looks like reader doesnt need to be as afraid as they thought! things are starting to look up! y'know, for now... :D
> 
> Thanks for reading lovelies, dont be afraid to comment, even if its just a ♡ !


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